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Volcanic ghost villages abadoned in Indonesia

When Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung sprang back to life several years ago, erupting and releasing destructive lava flows following 400 years of peaceful dormancy, many of the surrounding villages that had established themselves on its slopes had to be evacuated.

Sadly, they now sit completely empty and abandoned—declared by Indonesian authorities as too dangerous to inhabit. Associated Press photographer Binsar Bakkara recently visited the newly-formed ghost villages of Guru Kinayan, Simacem, Kuta Gugung, and Sibintun – to document the crumbling houses and personal belongings left behind that serve as “eerie reminders of how life suddenly stopped when the volcano erupted and everyone was forced to evacuate their homes.”